The Basin Record Newsletter Vol.6 Issue 2

Published by the Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History CBIRH Newsletter : Vol. 6 No.2 The Sullivan Mine’s ore was a complex mixture of Lead, zinc, and iron sulphides. Other metals such as tin, silver, and gold are also present. The main issue was the zinc. Lead ores with high zinc content were difficult to treat. The prevailing method in the early 1900s to treat zinc was the “Belgian Process”. It required relatively pure zinc ores and 2 tons of coke for one ton of ore. It involved evaporating the zinc and condensing it. Consolidated Mining & Smelting Company (Cominco) licensed a process to treat zinc ores at its smelter in Trail in 1912 from George French. French was a Scottish metallurgist who had arrived in Nelson around 1905 and claimed he had a solution to the zinc problem and his electrolytic based process would work on low grade zinc ores. Cominco constructed a zinc plant in 1914 under the direction of French’s son. However, unhappy with his performance Cominco cancelled the agreement in January 1915. The smelter had an electrolytic lead refinery in place in 1902 and would have an electrolytic copper refinery up and running in 1916. One of Cominco’s directors would sign an agreement in 1916 with the Dominion government to produce 25 tons of zine a day increasing year by year of zinc for the war effort. Cominco had not solved the zinc problem yet and could not produce this amount at least not economically. They needed a method of concentrating zinc ore. In 1917, Cominco was able to find someone who could. R.W. Diamond was a young Canadian metallurgist who had been working on a separation process developed in Broken Hill, Australia at the Anaconda smelter in Montana. Diamond recognized the challenge of the Sullivan ore and signed on with Cominco. It took until 1919 for Diamond and his team including W.H. Hannay, Clarence Thom, and C.P. Lewis to solve the problem in the laboratory. By spring 1920, they had a concentrator running in the “old red mill” in Trail treating the ores in a process called differential flotation. After running and fine tuning the process on the pilot concentrator until 1922, it was decided to build a concentrator closer to the mine. In the middle of 1922 construction of the concentrator began at what would be called Chapman Camp near Kimberley. Fred Chapman was chief engineer overseeing the construction. The construction crew of company employees were housed in the camp. The machinery was for the most part fabricated in the shops at the smelter in Trail. Later Chapman Camp would house workers from the concentrator. On August 23, 1923 the concentrator began operation. Producing lead, zinc, and iron concentrates. The initial capacity was 2500 tons per day. The process underlying the concentrator differential flotation would revolutionize metallurgy. Production at the smelter in Trail would increase rapidly and the full potential of the Sullivan’s ores could be realized. 926 Baker St #3, Cranbrook, BC V1C 1A5 | Telephone: 1-844-550-9150 | E-mail: info@basininstitute.org “ ” “Name That Logger” is the newest project that the Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History is working on. The Institute is showcasing 200 photos of the employees from the Crestbrook/Tembec collection that are currently unidentified and asking that viewers help identify them. Using social media pages and print ads we will feature photos from this collection and ask the viewers and readers to help identify the person or persons in the featured photo. This unique project will celebrate the people (Past & Present) who gave economic life to Cranbrook and surrounding areas. There are many inspiring photos of our communities, showcasing the hard work from loggers and truck drivers, sawmill workers, and office staff. A wide range of events, achievements are featured as well as fun things that bring us together, such as picnics, community parades and company golf tournaments. The lumbering industry was and is the backbone of development in our region. Not just economically, but socially and culturally. Anything we do in a community requires us to be familiar with its people, its issues and most importantly, it’s History. Using the information collected from this project we will update our database, fill in the gaps in this collection and help in telling the full story of the lumbering industry in the East Kootenay region. All of the featured “Name That Logger” photos are available to the public on our Facebook page : www.facebook.com/ColumbiaBasinInstituteofRegionalHistory/ a nd many more are available on our website: www.basininstitute.org . Also look for “Name That Logger” photos in your local newspaper. The Institute is also be organizing a volunteer group to view photos and assists in identifying the people, the equipment used and help in clarifying the logging processes. If you would like to volunteer for this group please contact the Institute at: info@basininstitute.org The funding partners for this project are Regional District of East Kootenay (R.D.E.K.) and the Columbia Basin Trust. Taking the time and effort to understand your community is a good way to gain a complete overview: what it is now, what it was in the past, and what it could be in the future. The Sullivan Concentrator and Chapman Camp 0205.0112 2257.0003